Well, you can take over a planet by culture, the population just disappears from existence, but you can pretend that they just migrated elsewhere or rejoined in whoever took over the planet.

...... AHAHAHAHA, I loled.

I had brought up this question before the games release, but got over it fairly quickly after a round.

I would still like to have other options though. Perhaps add a "blockade" research that allows siege frigates to lay siege to a planet without firing a shot. Have a countdown timer (more siege frigs the faster it counts down) that starts when all military units are removed from the gravity well, and the timer is stopped/reset/slowed if a large enough enemy force enters the gravity well.

That is what i want.

I have also raised this question. I've opted for the option for the colony to surrender and the devs did not implement it. Culture works as a good alternative to genocide

Would be interesting if you could flat out buy the opponent's planets out from under them (or at least their fringe worlds). Hostile takeover FTW. No idea how to implement something like that though, probably beyond the scope of things now. I wonder if a mod would allow people to buy culture bumps for cash... might have a similar effect, burning cash to grab planets. Of course if you are doing that you may as well just spend the cash building more culure centers. Hmmm.

Culture....hmmm. A bit more work but yeah, that'l do it eventually. If you have a multi-star map, you'd have to have a planet in that system though....and reasonably short phase lanes.... Thanks, Blair. Will try it out next game.

Agreed, I would like the blockage/surrender option

I would be one of those people.

What is honor compared to victory?

Honor is the delusion of those who lack resolve.

well one of the capital ships has the ability to suspend trade and steal the income from the planet lol you dont take over it that way but might as well

I play as Vasari and do not use nukes so I'm not guilty of nuclear fallout. But I am guilty of massive planetary scars caused by high powered particle beam weapons.

Though I'd prefer Mass Drivers like in Babylon 5.

I rather not nuke on them not even one unless whole alien on that planet but nothing other living thing like "Alien" in movies, think about pink cat, pink pony, ect on planet you dont want kill those cute even they willing to kill you!

True, races don't like each other that much, but even for strategic and tactical purposes, sometimes I'd rather take a planet mostly unscathed, with its planetary developments intact or with minor damages, and with a population to pay taxes, than take a floating rock, devastated by orbital bombing.

In fact, right now the effects of massive orbital bombing are rather weak, if you ask me. One would expect that when a planet is bombed into oblivion from orbit, nuclear fallout, wheather destabilization, etc. would definitely hamper further re-colonization attempts...

What I'd like to see is the option for a planetary invasion, coupled with some sort of planet quality loss if you decide to bomb anyway, and maybe an intermediate solution consisting of selective bombing, for instance.

i myslef would always go the boming option but thats just me.

puls you have to put yourself in their shoes. these are people fighting not just ur average war but a war for suvival. this measn you will do anything nessacary ot ensure your species wins.

and if you could invade. and you invaded an alien race, do you really think they would be happy with you as overlords? no! ther would be endless rebellion and fighting, which would give the enemy time ot strike back. and thus defeat the purpose of taking the planet.

while it may be very nice or 'right' to take over a planet isteadvof bombarding it, it just would not be practical when engeged in an intergolatic war.